Imagine celebrating Christmas in shorts and sunscreen instead of a winter coat. For Calgarians in 1999, that surreal scenario became a reality during an unprecedented holiday heat wave that rewrote the city's weather history.
The Record-Shattering December
The extraordinary event began on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1999. Instead of frigid winter air, Calgary was blanketed by unseasonable warmth, with the mercury climbing to a staggering 17.6 degrees Celsius. This wasn't just a mild day; it set a new all-time high temperature record for the month of December in the city.
The warmth didn't stop there. Just three days later, on December 27, 1999, Calgarians witnessed something even more remarkable. The temperature soared to a phenomenal 20 degrees Celsius, smashing the record set mere days earlier. Some official climate data lists this peak at 19.5°C, but the event is widely remembered as Calgary's first and only 20°C December day. Meteorologist Martin Van Olst captured the collective disbelief at the time, stating, “The world seems to be turned upside down. This is the fourth day in the last five we broke records.”
Summer Activities in December
The extended heat wave triggered a summer-like frenzy in the heart of winter. Calgarians enthusiastically traded traditional holiday pastimes for warm-weather pursuits. Golf courses opened their greens to players eager to tee off in December, though some course operators expressed concern that the unseasonable play and lack of protective snow could damage the turf.
The spirit of summer extended far beyond the fairways. Backyards across the city saw inflatable pools being filled, with families like Paul Schmalz and his four-year-old son Benjamin making headlines for taking a Christmas season swim. Parks and pathways were bustling with people on bicycles, in-line skates, and with frisbees. Some even took out fishing rods, fully embracing the bizarrely balmy conditions.
Consequences and Lasting Legacy
The freak weather was not without its challenges. The dry, warm conditions contributed to a heightened fire risk. One notable grass fire scorched approximately five acres in Nose Hill Park, highlighting the unexpected dangers of a green Christmas.
However, there was a significant silver lining for the municipal budget. The City of Calgary estimated savings of about $3 million due to drastically reduced needs for road sanding and snow clearing operations during the prolonged warm spell.
More than two decades later, the temperature of 20°C (or 19.5°C) reached on December 27, 1999, remains Calgary's warmest December day on record. This event stands as a vivid, sun-drenched anomaly in the city's climatic history, a Christmas where residents were urged to break out the sunscreen instead of the snow shovels.
